The present invention relates generally to the science of telecommunications. In more detail, the present invention relates to a system for providing advanced geographic information to a called party about the calling party and/or call origination party.
Presently, telephone systems have evolved to include limited standard identification information about the calling phone (calling number and/or ANI) and the phone that was called (dialed number). This information is primarily obtained from the telephone number from which the phone call was placed and the telephone number that was dialed by the caller. The telephone system has recognized these two numbers as basic information sources (for routing calls and for billing purposes for example) and has developed a system of standards for the data character fields these numbers are to fill. The following background information will better explain these standards of limited phone identification used today by the telephone system of the United States and as it applies to the international standards as well.
Automatic Number Identification
Automatic Number Identification (ANI) is a basic element of telephone calls transported throughout the public and private telephone networks. For the North America Numbering Plan (NANP), it is currently 10 digits long. ANI is used extensively for: call routing, call billing, call tracking, and call identification.
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) has 680 area codes available for use. Of these, currently over 40 area codes are used for other countries that participate in the NANP.
Call Routing Based on ANI
Area Code Routing based on the calling phone number is a common feature found in most long distance telephone networks. Based on the calling party number (ANI) the call can be routed and/or receive special treatment by telephone switches, the phone network, and equipment. Some Interexchange Carriers (IXC's) (such as AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc.) and Local Exchange Companies (LEC's) (such as Ameritech) provide many enhanced forms of call routing usually based on the first 3 or more ANI digit screening.
Call routing based on the first 3 ANI digits is usually referred to as Area Code Routing. For example, if the calling number ANI was 614/847-6161, then Area Code Routing would consider the “614” part of the ANI and route the Ohio originated call using the “614” as the broad geographic data element to start the routing routines and calculations, based on the routing rules and other factors (e.g., agents available, volume of calls, lines available, time of day, day of week, percent allocation, and other factors).
Call Routing based on more than the first 3 ANI digits allows for more geographic precision. Most ANI's have a geographic relationship. Bell Core publishes a LERG (Local Exchange Routing Guide) that gives the approximate longitude and latitude for the area code/exchange (as well as other data contained in the LERG) represented by the first 6 digits of the ANI. For example, for the calling number 614/847-6161 the “614-847” component has the geographic representation of Ohio and the metropolitan area of North Columbus/Worthington. The Area-Code-Exchange (NPA-NXX) Routing ability gives even greater routing definition for the calling party (ANI). If a caller to an 800 number with an ANI of “614/847-6161” was in need of being connected to a towing service, then the geographically closest towing service might be identified to handle the towing job (at a shorter travel time and possible lower cost).
Call Identification
One of the most wide spread and well-known uses of the caller's ANI is Caller ID (Caller Identification). The concept of Caller ID is to pass on to the recipient of the call the ANI of the caller before the call is answered. ANI has been a key component of ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) defined by the CCITT in the 1970's. The caller's ANI has traveled the phone network since the 1970's, if not earlier, in the form of two products:
1. 1-800 Access Type Service;
2. Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN Service).
Many companies, business, and individuals use ISDN, digital access, and/or Call ID to get the data elements of the call—one of which is caller ANI.
The ANI of the caller is preserved and passed on as the call passes through the Public Telephone Network (and usually the Private Telephone Network, if possible). For example, the caller ANI may traverse through the LEC, IXC, CAP (Competitive Access Provider), PBX, ACD, Agent and so forth, so the final recipient receives the caller's ANI (i.e., caller ID).
A PBX (private branch exchange) is a telephone system within an enterprise that switches calls between enterprise users on local lines while allowing all users to share a certain number of external phone lines. The main purpose of a PBX is to save the cost of requiring a line for each user to the telephone company's central office.
The PBX is owned and operated by the enterprise rather than the telephone company (which may be a supplier or service provider, however). Private branch exchanges used analog technology originally. Today, PBXs use digital technology (digital signals are converted to analog for outside calls on the local loop using plain old telephone service).
A PBX typically includes:                Telephone trunk (multiple phone) lines that terminate at the PBX        A computer with memory that manages the switching of the calls within the PBX and in and out of it        The network of lines within the PBX        Usually a console or switchboard for a human operator        
In some instances, alternatives to a PBX include Centrex service (in which a pool of lines are rented at the phone company's central office), key telephone systems, and, for very small enterprises, primary rate integrated Service Digital Network.
Among the larger manufacturers of PBXs are Lucent Technologies, Northern Telecom (NORTEL), Rolm/Siemens, NEC, GTE, Intecom, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Mitel.
Many conventional caller ID devices display the incoming phone number, but very few people are able to geographically recognize every area code. In this respect, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,009,149, 6,137,870, and 6,298,122, which disclosures are hereby incorporated by this reference. Moreover, most caller ID users would not inherently know more than a few of the local exchanges and their corresponding cities.
With an ever-increasing number of new area codes being used, those skilled in the art have recognized a significant need for an improved system for decoding and processing advanced determination and display of city and state caller information. The present invention fulfills these needs.